Central olfactory and vomeronasal pathways in salamanders

Central olfactory and vomeronasal pathways were studied in salamanders of the families Salamandridae and Plethodontidae by means of the HRP method. HRP was injected into the olfactory and accessory olfactory bulb as well as into the lateral/dorsal pallium, the main termination areas of secondary olfactory projections. Fibers leaving the olfactory bulb constitute two main tracts, the lateral olfactory tract (LOT), which is mostly restricted to the ipsilateral telencephalon, and the anterior olfactory habenular tract (AOHT), which represents the main contralateral connection. Fibers of the LOT project to the lateral pallium, dorsal striatum and the habenula. Efferent connections of the accessory olfactory bulb (AOT) terminate within the amygdala pars lateralis. No interspecific differences concerning the targets of central olfactory and vomeronasal projections were observed, but the number of olfactory tracts and their separation from each other varies.